iSpectra

Please describe your company and your position there.

Watheeq Capital is a leading Financial Firm based in Saudi Arabia that offers a wide range of innovative financial products and services, including investment banking, alternative investments, and asset management.

For what projects/services did your company hire iSpectra, and what were your goals?

We hired iSpectra to revamp the entire website, including digital strategy, UI/UX design, responsive web development, Drupal CMS implementation, SEO optimization, and hosting management.

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We have selected iSpectra as they have a demonstrated history of many successful projects for leading NGOs, governments, and companies in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and the UAE.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

We had begun the project with a comprehensive digital strategy, including detailed competitor analysis, audience analysis, and opportunity development. Next, the team had delivered a fully-functioning prototype that demonstrates the entire UI/UX. Two months forward, the team had fully developed the website using Drupal. Now, it's managing the hosting and updating the website to ensure optimal performance.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

Project manager, 2 UI/UX designers, and 4 developers.

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

The new website has enabled the firm to position itself as a market leader and has sought a 90% increase in organic search and a 70% decrease in bounce rate.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

The project had been managed in an agile approach using Scrum methodology. The team had conducted daily standup meetings, weekly retrospective reports, and consistent and transparent feedback on any encountered issue.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

iSpectra managed to deliver the entire project on time while exceeding expectations.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

No.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am Hajar Zumea Project manager at Global Marvels which is an online platform that enables children aged 3-6 years to excel by offering them with an exceptional learning experience based on entertainment, character development, value creation, and behavioral foundations, through GLOBAL MARVELS Curriculum (International Early Childhood Curriculum), which was developed by international academics who specialize in early childhood curricula. Teaching English to non-native speakers in partnership with international companies.

For what projects/services did your company hire iSpectra, and what were your goals?

We want to have a modern CMS that represent our digital image in an impressive way. The new website must follow the lasts design trends and built on top of Drupal CMS. The website needs to be integrated with our LMS (learning Management platform). Also, we were looking for highly skilled technical vender that has deep experience in online payment as we need to have multiple currencies support in the new platform.

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We were looking for reliable company in Drupal technology as the new website need to be built on top of Drupal CMS, we found that they have a certified team in Drupal technologies. Also, iSpectra approach was great from the early start of the engagement until project delivery.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

The new platform was built on top of Drupal CMS and below are the main feature of the solution

• Shopping Cart Model multi products items)
• Multiple Currency Payment Gateway Integration
• Parent Registration:
• Parent Dashboard 

1. My Childs (Add Child): (Normal Registration, Scholarship Registration)
2. Support (Ticket system)
3. Invoices (Past Invoices)
4. Your Opinion

• Admin dashboard:

1. Groups Management
2. Creating Groups and Classes
3. Arrange students into groups and classes
4. Auto arrange students
5. Manage students subscription
6. Reports
7. Integration with LMS

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We were working directly with the project Manager and technical team lead. Also at some point of the project execution we met with people with different roles.

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

The new website is launched in 2 releases with the agreed-upon scope of work. The new website has impressive user experience and design multi languages (Arabic & English). Fast performance, easy to use content management & SEO friendly.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

The duration of the project was 4 months divided in two releases as we wanted to launch the new platform early. We were getting a weekly status report from the project manager and meet every two weeks to review the project completed features.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

iSpectra was a highly skilled team in technical capabilities and creative design.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

None

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Head of Creative Strategy at Independent Food Company. INDPT is a UAE & KSA hospitality company that holds 6 different concepts under its umbrella : SALT, Somewhere, PUBLIC, Parker's, Switch and Grind. With food and design at our center, the house of INDPT exists to reimagine modern F&B, hospitality through transforming the dining landscape.

For what projects/services did your company hire iSpectra, and what were your goals?

Our original website was designed on a template, it was purely informative and we couldn't customize it the way we wanted to. This is why we needed to redesign SALT's website, create an e-commerce digital experience that would enable us to feature our products without relying on 3rd party integrators.

We needed an e-commerce that would be easy to use for the customer as much as our operation team. We needed easy content publishing and high security standards and our timeline was very short.

How did you select iSpectra and what were the deciding factors?

We reached out to several vendors for this project. Ispectra's team were the most responsive ones. They had a strong portfolio and their price was affordable.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

In nutshell, the project scope of work was to design and build Ecommerce Solution using Drupal. 1. User Research and Insight 2. Information Architecture 3. UI/UX Design 4. Drupal 8 Powered e-commerce digital experience

How many people from the iSpectra team worked with you, and what were their positions?

The project manager was our main point of contact during the entire time. However, since we were very picky about the design, we met with the technical team several times for design workshops. I believe the team members from iSpectra were around 6 people.

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

The project is completed within the same budget and scope.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

We were using JIRA & Basecamp for project management.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

The team was incredible in the workflow. Very cooperative, very patient, very flexible and willing to help in every area of their domain.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

N/A

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am Regional Manager for Business Technology Solutions at SBM “Saudi Business Machines Ltd”. SBM is the General Marketing and Services Representative of IBM World Trade Corporation in Saudi Arabia – the Kingdom’s leading provider of end-to-end enterprise information technology and telecommunications solutions.

SBM offers cutting edge enterprise solutions across all industry segments in the Kingdom. Its capability as a total solutions provider is further enhanced with its portfolio of services in networking, systems integration, consultation and implementation, business recovery and operations support.

For what projects/services did your company hire iSpectra, and what were your goals?

One of our strategic government client ECZA “Economic Cities and Special Zones Authority” / Saudi Arabia needs for enterprise-level Drupal CMS & Intranet solution based on OpenSocial framework that is built on top of Drupal. We partner with iSpectra to handle all the project activities including the website & Intranet strategy, UI/UX design, Development, Deployment & maintenance and support.

My client ultimate goal was to have superior web technology, very attractive user friendly designs, while ensuring the website is fully optimized in terms of performance, speed and compliance with Google core web vitals.

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We met with several companies and ask them to provide their technical and financial proposal. iSpectra proposal was very clear, straight forward. The deciding factor was their capabilities in Drupal technologies, they have a certified Drupal developers. Also, they have good experience working with government projects.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

The new ECZA Website & Intranet Portal project is proposed to enable ECZA to publish its news, contents and services using state of the art technology, and will help ECZA employees to connect and receive a top-down communications about their organization, team, or projects and to communicate with others.

The scope of work:

• Website & Intranet Strategy
• UI/ UX designs for both the website and the Intranet Portal
• Development of the website based on the latest Drupal version
• Development of the Intranet portal based on Drupal OpenSocial
• Deployment of the website & Intranet on the client production environment with a a high availability
• Maintenance and support.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

Around 8 Professional Consultants and a project manager who was the focal point of contact from iSpectra team.

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

The project currently at final stage, however iSpectra delivered the project as per the planned scope of work. ECZA is very satisfied with the final results as well as SBM.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

The project methodology is based on Agile and we are using JIRA & Basecamp for project management.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

They have a talented team that thinks outside the box. Their design capabilities were unique and creative and their technical experience is impactful meeting the project deadline.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

iSpectra is well managed and no comments from our side.

Please describe your company and your position there.

MARCELA de CALA is a luxurious wedding dresses design house that sells exclusive dresses across a number of selected high-end boutiques around the world.

Based in Spain and emerged from the coasts of the Mediterranean where beauty is only limited by a wide open horizon and charming nature, MARCELA de CALA was born in a cradle of charming beauty.

For what projects/services did your company hire iSpectra, and what were your goals?

At Marcela we wanted to have a modern, user friendly & attractive website meant to portray the luxurious wedding dresses of Spanish designer Marcela de Cala. we needed wonderful website that to be aligned with our digital strategy to targets a diverse European market through rich galleries that rely website.

How did you select iSpectra and what were the deciding factors?

Actually we met with 3 companies and after meeting ispectra, they showcase their capabilities and track record in website design also their price was fair for us.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

The project scope was to design & develop dynamic website. That is user friendly and easy to use.

How many people from the iSpectra team worked with you, and what were their positions?

The communication was excellent throughout. We worked with a project manager and were very happy with the level of communication.

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

The website design is very attractive, I believe they paid good attention to the design details, they also analyze our market competitors to show Marcela as industry market leader in the fashion industry. Also, I like the used technology it is very smooth and easy to use one. Marcela website was built using Drupal CMS.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

The project management was clear and straight forward which help us to finish the website on timeline agreed upon.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

I found iSpectra to be extremely proactive and efficient. Also, Their level of communication and creativity during the project duration was impressive.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

Based on my experience with iSpectra, they were best fit for us. iSpectra team were very interested to know a lot about our business and how we see ourselves in the fashion industry

Please describe your company and your position there.

Jordan Media Institute is a non-profit educational institution founded by Her Royal Highness Princess Rym Ali to enhance the performance of journalists and media practitioners in Jordan and the region. The institute, which provides professional education and training opportunities, offers its programs in Arabic in order to raise the level of Arab media and provide foreign media outlets with professional Arabic-speaking journalists.

JMI also seeks to improve media output and build the reputation of the profession locally and across the Arab world through its Master’s in Journalism and New Media. The MA degree consists of two tracks: The Comprehensive Examination Track, designed to produce professional journalists with advanced print and digital media skills; and the Thesis Track, which focuses on developing research and writing skills, in addition to establishing ethical and creative standards for the profession among students. The Master’s program adheres to high-quality standards in journalism education and is based on a balance between theoretical and practical instruction, in addition to the integration of communications technology with digital applications.

JMI is the first Arab educational institution to develop its journalism curricula by benefiting from elements of the digital environment, as well as focusing on building a strong cultural knowledge base among its students.

For what projects/services did your company hire iSpectra?

JMI is implementing a project funded by Carnegie Corporation of New York entitled ’Storytelling and giving youth a voice in the media. The main objective of the project is to strengthen awareness and knowledge of Media Literacy for young Jordanians enrolled in public schools aged 14- 16, by providing them with the skills to consume and produce media wisely, ethically, and creatively, to become empowered citizens and active participants in their communities

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We issued an official RFP and ask the qualified vendors to prepare their technical & financial proposals, iSpectra was one of the companies that participated in this solicitation process. Their proposal was very detailed, they covered everything in a very professional manner. Then we called for a meeting before the award to meet them and make sure everything is straight. During that meeting, we were impressed with their level of professionalism, so we decided to go with them.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

Designing educational games (electronic) on Media and Information Literacy for school students, where ispectra designed and built a mobile application game that is user friendly and challenging to our target audience

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

From day one we have worked with an experienced team of 1 Project Manager; 2 - QA engineers; one 2D designer, and 2 - Software engineers.

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The project delivery was very satisfying for us and iSpectra services were up to the level and our requirements were well covered.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Among the advantages of our work with iSpectra were the team’s skills, high level of organization, focus on best software development practices, and visible results.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

We felt like we are one team, the communication from the beginning was between the tech people on our side and the tech people on their side. It was easy, and they were approachable. There was no shield between their technical staff and ours, which had been nice.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

Not really. The way we work together has been fine from both sides

Please describe your company and your position there.

General Authority for military industries (GAMI) is a Saudi Government organization act as the regulator, enabler and licensor of the Kingdom’s military industries sector.

We are entrusted to build a sustainable domestic defense sector that delivers significant social and economic benefits, while reinforcing the Kingdom’s autonomy, military readiness and national security, and I work as a Lead Application Development in Information Technology Department

For what projects/services did your company hire iSpectra?

We were tasked to totally revamp GAMI public Web Portal to keep pace with our strategic objectives mainly to enhance the user experience, information architecture. Also the new portal should follow and apply the latest security updates and recommendations approved on the portal. In addition. We require that the new web portal must be built using latest version of Drupal CMS.

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

As a government entity we have our own procurement process. Where we evaluate vendors proposal based on 70% for the technical part & 30% for the financial proposal. iSpectra proposal was the best fit for our scope of work from technical perspective they have a certified team (Drupal certified, Scrum mater certificate) their previous experience and track record.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

The scope of work was to redesign GAMI main portal, enhance the user experience, information architecture. Develop the new design based on the latest version on Drupal CMS. Also, ongoing support and regular Drupal update.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

There have been around 8-10 people involved in the project from iSpectra team. There’s a Business Development supervisor, Project Manager, Drupal technical team lead , UI/UX specialist. My main point of contact is the project manager.

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

iSpectra team have help us built our public facing website from scratch in best way possible

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

workflow and coordination were perfect and appreciated

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

iSpectra has demonstrated unlimited support and commitment to deliver the project on time within the agreed scope.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

no comment

Please describe your company and your position there.

at TBWA, We develop business-changing, culture-defining and award-winning ideas for brands. And we’ve got the hardware to prove it. Named Adweek's 2018 Global Agency of the Year, we have been recognized with top honors from every major creative award show, including Cannes Lions, Clios, D&AD, Effies, Webbys and the Emmy awards. I am creative director and I was the focal point of contact with iSpectra to make sure that the project is align with our client requirements.

For what projects/services did your company hire iSpectra, and what were your goals?

We hired iSpectra to design and develop 3 websites for GIZ project that we awarded. We were looking for best company in terms of UI/UX design capabilities combined with technical expertises to carry out the scope of work.

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

Their track record and the certified Drupal developers they have

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

The scope of work is to carry out the design and development of three websites for local national councils they project funded from GIZ to enhance the level of expertise for the fresh graduate and subject matter expert where they can find any information they need about their specialty deliverable:

1. UI/ UX design for three websites
2. Drupal CMS Web development
3. ongoing support and regular update (annual contract)

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

6 members Business development Manager Project Manager UI/UX designer 3 Senior Drupal Developers

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

The deliverables were amazing & well done.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

iSpectra delivered the project based on Agile approach, the communication was through face to face meetings, emails, Jira software tool for project management

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Their level of expertise in UI/ UX and Drupal development. Also, they are very flexible and their availability was amazing.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

N/A

Please describe your company and your position there.

IT Manager and SILA IT Advisor at Partners for Good, where processes and lead IT studio from start to finish.

For what projects/services did your company hire iSpectra, and what were your goals?

The objective of this project is to develop a mobile app and web-platfrom to allow the users to submit their complains through the app. The main proposes of the system is to track and manage the complains were received from the users to be controlled and maintained by the responsible department in the municipality through the web-platfrom.

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We've our methodology to select the vendors by sending the RFP, also they have to pass the validation process by through financial and technical evaluation process.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

Scope of Work.

1. The mobile application (IOS and Android) will include all the Baladeytkom Mobile App features and add new requested features stated as the following:
2. Add the Set location feature (Google map) to be integrated to the App which allows users to set location automatically or manually
3. Add Services, which allows the admin to add list of ASEZA services from back-end which will then be reflected to ASEZA App (front-end)
4. New users’ authentication: a new user should receive SMS message to verify and confirm the account
5. Add the Push notification system: the system will able to send messages (alerts, notices) to all users for cases of emergency
6. Add multiple users to the back-end function and the ability to edit a user’s individual authority and roles
7. Add multiple authority based on departments, sections, and managers
8. Add drop-down list to the back-end function which contains standard decision
9. Link each complaint/ticket to the department which is responsible to solve the problem/ issue
10. Add customized ASEZA forms and reports to the back-end
11. Change the logo and App design to fit ASEZA’s theme
12. Change the back-end theme and design
13. Mail feature which allows the system to send the complaints/ ticket to the responsible department and manager to follow-up on the necessary action(s)
14. Provide training session for platform administrators
15. Amazon will be hosting the server for 12 months starting from May 1, 2020 until April 31, 2021
16. Maintenance and support package for 5 hours every month for 12 months starting from May 1, 2020 until April 31, 2021

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

- (1) Project Manager: He is the key person we communicate with - (1) Designer - (3) Developers

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

Within the SOW and deliverables the project has been launched as scheduled.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

The communications and meetings were arranged smoothly by emails and phone calls and Zoom most of the time.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Their teamwork and partnership were outstanding.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

Follow-up with analysis report of the completed projects.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I used to be the Programs Implementation Manager and the Technical Advisor at a project which was impended by another organization. A foundation, doing business as the organization, has been selected by the parent organization to serve as the Prime Recipient for the project.

For what projects/services did your company hire iSpectra, and what were your goals?

We would like to hire a firm to develop a mobile app for five municipalities under the Municipal Pilot Project as a tool of the feedback mechanism. This project aims at dealing with the suggestions and complaints from citizens with the goal of achieving a higher level of satisfaction about the services they receive, and to solve the problems that employees may face, administratively or technically, while on the job, justly and with transparency.

It also aims to benefit from citizen’s ideas and suggestions about the constant improvement and development of municipal services and performance.

The project suggests a number of activities and interventions that aim at institutionalizing the process of receiving complaints and requests for community services in these target municipalities, as well as developing a number of communications channels between municipalities and the community, in a way that would guarantee accessibility to citizens.

Through this, municipalities will reach community engagement that is active in the planning process of municipal projects and services.

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We have our own procurements and Vendor proposal are evaluated based on 70% on the technical proposal and 30% on the financial proposal, iSpectra score was the highest among other vendors.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

Native mobile application design & Development and Drupal CMS to make the Mobile application will target Android and iPhone platforms as follows:

• Apple devices running iOS version 8.0 and later Android devices running Android version 4.4 Kitkat and later
• The implementation of user-interface design will take into consideration screen sizes
• resolutions and scaling factors of the targeted devices for both IOS and Android
• A Content Management System “CMS” will be designed and implemented by the Web Development team, showing stored records of orders history.
• A suitable web-service will be implemented to integrate with existing Municipality database, API endpoints will be developed to support the Android and iOS versions of the mobile app.
• The Mobile application will support Arabic language users, based on device localization settings. The process will be performed as the final development step before application releases, implemented in accordance with the appropriate localization guidelines for both iOS and Android platforms.
• The Mobile Development team will handle process of releasing the mobile application to the public, taking the appropriate steps of app submission for both Apple App Store and Google Play Store
• App Manual as a guide for the municipal staff in Arabic.
• A training should be conducted after developing the App for the targeted municipalities.
• The implementation firm shall provide maintenance support for the application for at least two years.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

The project team include a multiple people with different . Business Development manager, project Manager, UI/UX Designer, 2 senior mobile engineer & 2 senior web engineer.

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

The project is implemented as per the scope of work that was mentioned in the RFP and the final results are amazing.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

The project was implemented based on PMP best practices. Also, we used basecamp for all project communication.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Their ability to address our needs in specular manner. They are very flexible and reliable.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

I believe they have amazing staff who were our true technical partner in this project.